Date:03/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/03/stories/2008080353580400.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

IAS officers to oversee fertilizer supply

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: The Government has decided to depute senior IAS officers to districts like Warangal, Karimnagar, Khammam, Adilabad, Medak, Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar to ensure proper supply of fertilizer to farmers, especially those in remote areas.

Directing Chief Secretary P. Ramakanth Reddy to draft the IAS officers who worked in these districts earlier, for the task, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy also issued orders for moving as much quantity of fertilizer as possible to these districts by train from the factories.

As this job would require about 300 rakes, he sent a letter to the Union Railway Minister Lalu Prasad seeking allotment of sufficient number of rakes to the State for the purpose. Reviewing the bottlenecks in fertilizer supply at a meeting here on Saturday, Dr. Reddy asked officials to take up a campaign across villages about assured supplies and monitor the availability by undertaking surprise checks on stock points. Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy was asked to review the overall situation on daily basis.

C. R. Biswal, Principal Secretary, Agriculture, and D.A. Somayajulu, Advisor (Economic Affairs), were present.